Time to "Re-Start" This March

Entering the last month of the first quarter of the year, how are your plans for 2020 going? Most of us start off strong and stick to our plans for losing weight, building business or even folding prayerful practices into our day and then life happens - best laid plans right!

As a Catholic, March has always been a time that helps me re-focus, because of the Lenten Season. I like to call it "Restart March"! My faith tradition calls us to set aside time to be quiet, reflective and prayerful in ways that connect you with Christ and community. In alignment with that tradition, connecting with people here on LinkedIn has always been a part of my Lenten plan. In January amidst all the articles on what to do to be successful in 2020, Tim Queen's "How to get your first 10K followers on LinkedIN - 50 LinkedIn Follower Hacks for 2020" was on my short list of things to do.

While I did a couple of things on the list, it moved down the list of priorities and the sharp focus became blurred. Now it's back at the top of my list and I am lazer focused on reaching this goal. It's a challenge and puts me on the path of a journey that will parallel my Lenten one. But, traveling the path alone can be difficult.

So I challenge you to join me and share your progress in doing the 50 things to grow your followers in the comments through Easter Sunday. Here are the 50 Hacks to do:

1. Optimize your profile - Picture, Cover Image and Great Headline *
2. Connect with people you know - Make a list and send them connection requests.
3. Write LinkedIn articles - Start with one about what you do and why you do it. *
4. Share text posts on LinkedIn - These are 200 word posts.
5. Share photos on LinkedIn - Pictures from business events or achievements.
6. Publish videos on LinkedIn - How to videos are great.
7. Go Live on LinkedIn - Webinars would be great.
8. Share documents on LinkedIn - Checklists, white papers, etc.,
9. Use Hashtags on LinkedIn - No more than three. *
10. Tag people and companies in your posts - Those you know & want to connect. *
11. Share your expertise in your field - Specific examples that are unique to you. *
12. Be the first to share something - An event, new innovation, new regulation, etc,. *
13. Be consistent - Post something everyday!
14. Go Viral - Here's a link to a video to help.
15. Join LinkedIn Groups - Search for your industry and join ones you like. *
16. Create your own group - Added benefit for your customers. *
17. Create a LinkedIn Business page - Share your articles or articles from others. *
18. Collaborate on LinkedIn - Interview someone or share content about your industry.
19. Create Events on LinkedIn - Events move connection from online to in-person. *
20. Change from Connect Button to Follow Button - 30K limit for connection invites. *
21. Ask people to follow you - Your invites to follow are infinite - follow me! *
22. Share your LinkedIn profile everywhere - Email signature, powerpoint slides, etc,.
23. Create an Ad on LinkedIn - Share your unique value proposition.
24. Update your profile often - Start with once a quarter. *
25. Cross promote social media - Use FB,IGTV or Twitter to push peeps to LinkedIn.
26. Get a Professional Headshot Picture - A friend with a phone can do this too.
27. Reply to all comments - Check notifications daily to respond or once a week. *
28. Thank people for sharing - In comments of great articles thank them for the share.
29. Connect with your biggest fans - Send a message of thanks for the support.
30. Engage with content - Don't just consume content, starting engaging with it too. *
31. Endorse skills of others - Support your connections and followers on LinkedIn.
32. Write LinkedIn Recommendations - Support your connections and followers on LI.
33. Optimize profile for SEO - Words that describe what you do are in your profile.
34. Set your profile to public - It optimizes your profile on LinkedIn and Google. *
35. Write smart comments on people's posts - Share how their content helps you.
36. Ask people to share your posts - Share this article with others.
37. Build real relationship - Move from LI to email, then to chat or in-person. *
38. Become a Speaker - Find local opportunities where you can speak. *
39. Join panel discussions - Seek opportunities to speak at industry events. *
40. Create webinars - Do a Live on LinkedIn that is short.
41. Business Cards - Place cards with your profile in each seat.
42. Dream connections - Make a list of 100 top connections and connect.
43. Grow - Use LinkedIn to grow all your social media by cross promo.
44. Newsletter - Email newsletters still work promo your profile in them.
45. LinkedIn Promo in Blogs - Blogs of 2500 words or more rank on Google too.
46. Be a guest blogger - Submit articles to industry influencers or publications. *
47. Guest on a Podcast - Pitch podcasts to be a guest on an upcoming episode. *
48. Start your own Podcast - Visit Stitcher, Libsyn or SoundCloud to get started.
49. Join LinkedIn Engagement Pods - Here's an article to help you find one.
50. Value Added Posting - Focus on sharing content that has value to your industry.

* I have checked this off the list.

My starting number is 21 things checked off the list and have 1,181 connections 1,336 followers so hoping to check off all the things on the list by Easter. Will you join me on the journey? If so - Ready - Set - Go!